Switch operating mechanism



7 w. B. KARKOW, JR 2,802,914

SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 28, 1955 2 Shuts-Sheet 1 .Zfi/nfa7". Waldemar .B. dariow 0/51 l MZ MQ 1957 I w. B. KARKOW, JR 2,802,914

SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 28. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .172272 for: Waldemar Wrow J7? SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM Waldemar B.Knrkow, In, Wilmette, 111., assignor to Bell & Howell Company, Chicago,121., a corporation of Illinois Application September 28, 1955, SerialNo. 537,254

8 Claims. (Cl. MG -61.41)

This invention relates, generally, to switch operating mechanism and ithas particular relation to mechanisms for operating switches in responseto the movement of a bank check or the like along a predetermined pathfor controlling the operation of a check endorsing machine, such as thecheck endorsing machine disclosed in my copending application Serial No.540,114 filed October 12, 1955.

Among the objects of this invention are: To provide a switch operatingmechanism in which the force required for operating the switch inresponse to the presence of a check is supplied by means independent ofthe check; to employ the check merely to trigger the switch operatingmechanism after which the switch is operated from a separate source ofpower; to provide a lost motion connection between a flipper that isengaged by the check and the switch operating mechanism in order topermit limited independent operation thereof; and to provide aneccentric connection between a switch operator and a disc that isintermittently driven by the separate source of power Other objects ofthis invention will, in part, be obvious, and in part appearhereinafter.

This invention is disclosed in the embodiment thereof shown in theaccompanying drawings and it comprises the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and the scope of thisinvention reference can be had to the following detailed description,taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, in side elevation, of the switch operating mechanismof the present invention shown as being embodied in a check endorsingmachine of the type as shown in the application above referred to;

Figure 2 is a view, in side elevation and at an enlarged scale, of theswitch operating mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the mechanism as shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view showing the interaction between a check and theflipper after the latter has been engaged and moved from the nonoperated position;

Figure 5 shows another position of the flipper where it makes a secondengagement with the same check shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 5, but showing the position of theflipper where it is operated upon by the next check; and

Figure 7 is a view of the flipper from the side opposite that shown inFigure 4 in order to illustrate more clearly the details ofconstruction.

Referring now particularlyto Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, it willbe observed that the reference character 10 designates a part of a frameof a check endorsing machine of the type shown in the application abovereferred to. The check to be endorsed is shown at 11 and it StatesPatent Q ice is fed downwardly between guide rollers 12 and along aguide strip 13 between a guide roller 14 and a large diameter guideroller 15 that is driven continuously by means not shown. A supportplate 16 depends from the frame 10 and it carries a transverselyextending angle bracket 17 to which an L-shaped bracket 18 is secured byscrews 19. The screws 19 also carry the lower end of the guide strip 13.

Mounted by screws 20 on the L-shaped bracket 18 is a frame plate 21which extends generally normal to the path of the bank check 11 as it isfed downwardly between the guide rollers 14 and 15 to be imprinted by atype roller in the machine as described more fully in the copendingapplication above referred to. Mounted on the frame plate 21 by screws22 is a pulse switch that is indicated, generally, at 23. The switch 23has a switch pin 24 projecting therefrom for operating its contacts yfrom one position to the other. Conductors 25 are provided forconnecting the contacts in a suitable control circuit as will beunderstood readily. It is conventional practice to provide a springwithin the switch 23 which urges the switch pin 24 outwardly and to holdthe contacts of the switch in a predetermined non-operated position.

In order to depress the switch pin 24 and operate the contacts of theswitch 23 a second class lever 28, constituting a switch operator, isprovided. The lever 28 has a U-shaped end 29, as shown in Figure 3, thatis fulcrumed on a screw 30 which is carried by the frame plate 21. Anarm 31 formed integrally with the lever 28 overlies the switch pin 24and serves to depress the same when the lever 28 is moved downwardly orin a counterclockwise direction. In addition to any upward biasingaction that may be provided by the spring within the switch 23 furtherbiasing action can be provided by a spring 32 the central portion ofwhich is coiled about the screw 30 with one end 33 being hooked underthe lever 28 and the other end 34 hearing against the upper surface ofthe switch 23.

The force for moving the lever or switch operator 28 downwardly or in acounterclockwise direction is applied to the outer end 35 by one or theother of a pair of pins 36 that project laterally from a disc 37 whichis fast on one end of a shaft 38 that is journaled in the frame plate21. The pins 36 constitute an eccentric connection to the outer end 35of the lever 28 and are arranged to be operated intermittently by thepresence of a check 11 through the mechanism to be described presently.

In order to permit intermittent operation of the disc 37 from aconstantly driven member the diametrically opposite sides 39 of the disc37 are slabbed off preferably providing a concave surface at each side.The circular portions 40 between the slabbed ofl sides 39 are arrangedto have driving engagement with a non-slipping peripheral surface 41 ofa ring 42 of rubber or the like that is carried by a drive wheel 43which is located, as shown in Figure 3, in substantially the same planeas the disc 37. The drive wheel 43 is fast on a gear wheel 44 that isfreely rotatable about a screw shaft 45 carried by the frame plate 21.As shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings the gear wheel 44 mesheswith a gear wheel 46 that rotates with the large diameter guide roller15 which, it will be recalled, rotates continuously.

It will be noted that the pins 36 are aligned with the slabbed off sides39 of the disc 37 and that, as long as one or the other of these slabbedoff sides is juxtaposed to the ring 42 which rotates continuously, thereis no driving engagement between the ring 42 and the disc 37. However,as soon as the disc 37 is rotated slightly in a counterclockwisedirection, the circular periphery 40 engages the ring 42 so that adriving connection is established to the disc 37 and it rotates throughone half a revolution. The left hand pin 36 then depresses the outer end35 of the lever 28 to operate the switch 23 by depressing the switch pin24.

The initial movement of the disc 37 is effected by the check 11 in amanner to be described now. It will be noted that the shaft 38 projectsthrough a hub 49 carried by the frame plate 21 and that there is fast onits outer end an annular flange 50. Projecting laterally from theannular flange 50 are two headed pins 51 that are located ondiametrically opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the flange 50 orof the shaft 38. The pins 51 project through arcuate slots 52 in thecentral portion of a flipper 53 which thereby is rockably mounted on theflange d and has relative lost motion with respect thereto. The flipper53 is provided with diametrically oppositely extending wings 54 and 55which, as shown in Figure 1, are arranged at their outer ends tointersect the path of the check 11 as it moves toward the endorsingposition. A spring 56 is strained between the annular flange 50 and theflipper 53 and biases the latter in the direction in which the former isrotated.

In operation, a check 11 engages the Wing 54-, for example, as shown inFigure 4 and rotates the flipper 53 in a counterclockwise direction.This movement is transmitted to the disc 37 which rotates slightly toplace one of the circular surfaces 40 in engagement with the nonslippingperipheral surface 41 of the ring 42 of rubber. Thereafter the disc 37is driven by the ring 42 as described previously. Because of the lostmotion connection provided by the arcuate slots 52, the movement of thedisc 37 and of the annular flange 50 is somewhat independent of themovement of the flipper 53, the latter being somewhat slower. As thecheck 11 moves to the position shown in Figure 5, the flipper 53continues to move until the other wing 55 engages the same check 11 andlifts the edge thereof slightly above the oncoming edge of the nextcheck 57.

As shown in Figure 6 the continued rotation of the flipper 53 tocomplete a half revolution places the wing 55 underneath the advancingedge of the next check 57 where the foregoing cycle of operation isrepeated.

As long as checks continue to be fed into engagement with the flipper53, it rotates one half revolution for each check and effects theoperation of the switch 23 once for each check.

Since certain changes can be made in the foregoing construction anddifferent embodiments of the invention can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that allmatter shownin the accompanying drawings and described hereinbefore shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. Mechanism for operating a switch in response to the movement of acheck or the like comprising, in combination, support means adapted tobe mounted along the path of the check and to have a switch stationarilymounted with respect thereto, a level fulcrumed on said support means, ashaft journaled on said support means transversely to said lever havingfast on one end a disc having at least one slabbed 01f side and fast onthe other end a flipper support, means operatively interconnecting saiddisc and lever, a drive wheel on said support means adapted to becontinuously rotated and having peripheral driving surface interfittingwith and spaced from said slabbed off side of said disc, and a flipperrockably mounted on said flipper support and having a lost motionconnection therewith and adapted to intersect the path of the check torotate said disc sufliciently to cause said drive wheel to operativelyengage said disc whereby said lever is rocked and the switch isoperated.

2. Mechanism for operating a switch in response to the movement of acheck or the like comprising, in com bination, support means adapted tobe mounted along the path of the check and to have a switch stationarilymounted with respect thereto, a lever fulcrumed on said support means, ashaft journaled on said support means transversely to said lever havingfast on one end a disc having at least one slabbed side and fast on theother end a flipper support, means operatively interconnecting said discand lever, a drive wheel on said support means adapted to becontinuously rotated and having a peripheral surface interfitting withand spaced from said slabbed off side of said disc, a flipper rockablymounted on said flipper support and having a lost motion connectiontherewith, a spring strained between said flipper support and saidflipper and biasing the latter relative to the former in the directionof rotation of said flipper support, and diametrically opposite wings onsaid flipper with the path of their ends intersecting the path of thecheck to rotate said disc sufficiently to cause said drive wheel tooperatively engage said disc whereby said lever is rocked and the switchis operated.

3. Mechanism for operating a switch in response to the movement of acheck or the like comprising, in combination, support means adapted tobe mounted along the path of the check and to have a switch stationarilymounted with respect thereto, a lever fulcrumed on said support means, ashaft journaled on said support means transversely to said lever havingfast on one end a disc having slabbed off diametrically opposite sidesandfast on the other end a flipper support, eccentric means operativelyinterconnecting said disc and lever, a drive wheel on said support meansadapted to be continuously rotated and having a non-slipping peripheralsurface interfitting with and spaced from the adjacent one of saidslabbed off sides of said disc, and a flipper rockably mounted on saidflipper support and having a lost motion connection therewith andadapted to intersect the path of the check to rotate said discsufficiently to cause said drive wheel to operatively engage said discwhereby said lever is rocked and the switch is operated.

4. Mechanism for operating a switch in response to the movement of acheck or the like comprising, in combination, support means adapted tobe mounted along the path of the check and to have a switch stationarilymounted with respect thereto, a lever fulcrumed on said support means toswing in a plane normal to the path of the check, a shaft journaled onsaid support means transversely to said lever having fast on one end adisc having slabbed oif diametrically opposite sides and fast on theother end a flipper support, eccentric means operatively interconnectingsaid disc and lever, a drive Wheel on said support means adapted to becontinuously rotated and having a non-slipping peripheral surfaceinterfitting with and spaced from the adjacent one of said slabbed offsides of said disc, a flipper rockably mounted on said flipper supportand having a lost motion connection therewith, a spring strained betweensaid flipper support and said flipper and biasing the latter relative tothe former in the direction of rotation of said flipper support, anddiametrically opposite wings on said flipper with the path of their endsintersecting the path of the check to rotate said disc sufliciently tocause said drive wheel to operatively engage said disc whereby saidlever is rocked and the switch is operated. a

5. Mechanism for operating a switch in response to the movement of acheck or the like comprising, in combination, a frame plate adapted tobe mounted generally normal to the path of the check and to have aswitch stationarily mounted with respect thereto, a second classoperating lever fulcrumed on said frame plate to move in a verticalplane downwardly to operate said switch, a shaft journaled on said frameplate transversely to said lever, a disc fast on one end of said shafthaving at least one slabbed off side, means projecting from said disc onopposite sides of its axis of rotation aligned with said slabbed offside and operatively engaging said lever, a drive wheel rotatablymounted on said frame plate adjacent said shaft and adapted to be drivencontinuously in the plane of said disc and having a peripheral surfaceinterfitting with said slabbed off side of said disc and spacedtherefrom and freely rotatable with respect to said disc in suchposition, an annular flange fast on the other end of said shaft, aflipper rockably mounted on said flange about its axis of rotation andhaving a lost motion connection therewith and positioned to intersectthe path of the check whereby when the check engages said flipper saiddisc is rotated to place the same in driving engagement with the saidperipheral surface of said gear wheel resulting in said means on saiddisc moving said lever to operate said switch, said lost motionconnection permitting said flipper to move conjointly with the checkindependently of said flange and disc and subsequently to engage thesame check and move it slightly out of the path of the next check to beengaged thereby on the opposite side.

6. Mechanism for operating a switch in response to the movement of acheck or the like comprising, in combination, a frame plate adapted tobe mounted generally normal to the path of the check and to have aswitch stationarily mounted with respect thereto, a second classoperating lever fulcrumed on said frame plate to move in a verticalplane downwardly to operate said switch, a shaft journaled on said frameplate transversely to said lever, a disc fast on one end of said shafthaving at least one slabbed off side, means projecting from said disc onopposite sides of its axis of rotation aligned with said slabbed offside and operatively engaging said lever, a gear wheel rotatably mountedon said frame plate adjacent said shaft and adapted to be drivencontinuously, a drive wheel fast on said gear wheel rotatable in theplane of said disc and having a non-slipping peripheral surfaceinterfitting with said slabbed 01f side of said disc and spacedtherefrom and freely rotatable with respect to said disc in suchposition, an annular flange fast on the other end of said shaft, aflipper rockably mounted on said flange about its axis of rotation andhaving a lost motion driving connection therewith, and wings projectingdiametrically from said flipper with the path of the ends thereofintersecting the path of the check whereby when one of said wings isengaged by an edge of the check as the same moves therepast said disc isrotated to place the same in driving engagement with the saidnon-slipping surface accomplished by further rotation caused by saidgear wheel resulting in said means on said disc moving said lever tooperate said switch, said lost motion connection permitting said onewing to move conjointly with the check independently of said flange anddisc and subsequently the other wing to engage the same check and moveit slightly out of the path of the next check to be engaged thereby onthe opposite side.

7. Mechanism for operating a switch in response to the movement of acheck or the like comprising, in combination, a frame plate adapted tobe mounted generally normal to the path of the check and to have aswitch stationarily mounted with respect thereto, an upwardly biasedsecond class operating lever fulcrumed on said frame plate to move in avertical plane downwardly to operate said switch, a shaft journaled onsaid frame plate transversely to said lever, a disc fast on one end ofsaid shaft having diametrically opposite slabbed off sides, a pair ofpins projecting from said disc on opposite sides of its axis of rotationaligned with said slabbed off sides overlying said lever and restrainingits upward movement, a gear wheel rotatably mounted on said frame plateadjacent said shaft and adapted to be driven continuously, a drive wheelfast on said gear wheel rotatable in the plane of said disc and having anon-slipping peripheral surface interfitting with the adjacent one ofsaid slabbed olf sides of said disc and spaced therefrom when said leveris engaged by both of said pins and freely rotatable with respect tosaid disc in such position, an annular flange fast on the other end ofsaid shaft, a pair of pins projecting from said flange on opposite sidesof its axis of rotation having a pair of :arcuate slots on oppositesides of the last mentioned axis through which said pins on said flangesproject, a spring reacting between said flange and said flipper to biasthe latter relative to the former in the direction in which said flangeis rotated, and wings projecting diametrically from said flipper withthe path of the ends thereof intersecting the path of the check wherebywhen one of said wings is engaged by an edge of the check as the samemoves therepast said disc is rotated to place the same in drivingengagement with the said non-slipping surface accompanied by furtherrotation caused by said gear wheel resulting in one of the firstmentioned pins moving said lever downwardly to operate said switch, saidarcuate slots permitting said one wing to move conjointly with the checkindependently of said flange and disc and subsequently the other wing toengage the same check and move it slightly out of the path of the nextcheck to be engaged thereby on the opposite side.

8. Mechanism for operating a switch in response to the movement of acheck or the like comprising, in combination, a frame plate adapted tobe mounted generally normal to the path of the check and to have aswitch stationarily mounted with respect thereto, a second classoperating lever fulcrumed on said frame plate to move in a verticalplane downwardly to operate said switch, spring means biasing said leverupwardly, a shaft journaled on said frame plate transversely to saidlever, a disc fast on one end of said shaft having diametricallyopposite slabbed off sides providing concave surfaces, a pair of pinsprojecting'from said disc on opposite sides of its axis of rotationaligned with said slabbed off sides overlying said lever and restrainingits upward movement under the influence of said spring, a gear wheelrotatably mounted on said frame plate adjacent said shaft and adapted tobe driven continuously, a drive wheel fast on said gear wheel rotatablein the plane of said disc and having a nonslipping peripheral surfaceinterfitting with the adjacent one of said slabbed off sides of saiddisc and spaced there from when said lever is engaged by both of saidpins and freely rotatable with respect to said disc in such position, anannular flange fast on the other end of said shaft, a pair of pinsprojecting from said flange on opposite sides of its axis of rotation, aflipper rockably mounted on said flange about its axis of rotationhaving a pair of arcuate slots on opposite sides of the last mentionedaxis through which said pins on said flange project, a spring reactingbetween said flange and said flipper to bias the latter relative to theformer in the direction in which said flange is rotated, and wingsprojecting diametrically from said flipper with the path of the endsthereof intersecting the path of the check whereby when one of saidwings is engaged by an edge of the check as the same moves therepastsaid disc is rotated to place the same in driving engagement with thesaid non-slipping surface accompanied by further rotation caused by saidgear wheel resulting in one of the first mentioned pins moving saidlever downwardly to operate said switch, said arcuate slots permittingsaid one wing to move conjointly with the check independently of saidflange and disc and subsequently the other wing to engage the same checkand move it slightly out of the path of the next check to be engagedthereby on the opposite side.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,032,378 Chandler July 16, 1912 2,337,813 Grossenbacher Dec. 28, 19432,494,615 Hayes Jan. 17, 1950 2,693,595 Belluche et a1 Nov. 9, 1954

